Quickly, over the course of two seasons, Arkansas State has gone from unnoticed to the newest launching pad for up-and-coming young coaches.

First it was Hugh Freeze, who went from ASU's offensive coordinator in 2010 to its coach in 2011 to Mississippi, where he recently completed a successful seven-win season and wrapped up one of the nation's best recruiting classes.

Freeze was followed by former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who parlayed a nine-win season and Sun Belt crown into a return to Auburn, replacing his former boss, Gene Chizik.

Next is Texas offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, who hopes to follow in Freeze and Malzahn's footsteps as the next ASU coach to make the leap to an automatic-qualifying position. As with each of his predecessors, Harsin brings strong credentials as an offensive technician to a team with hopes of nailing down another conference championship.

Is this a fair trade – getting a short but successful run out of a young coach before reentering the coaching pool? Consider this: Arkansas State is 20-6 over the last two seasons; ASU went 77-162-2 from 1990-2010. Yes, the Red Wolves will take that trade.

Spring dates: Arkansas State took the field on Mar. 11 and will play a spring game on Apr. 13.

2012 record: 10-3 (7-1). Two of ASU's losses came to Oregon and Nebraska.

1. What's changing on offense? Harsin's background is more in the Boise State vein of offense, which is more of a pro-style look, while both Freeze and Malzahn worked with spread systems. The process of installing this offense is the biggest key during the spring, though Harsin is uncertain if the entire playbook will be installed before Apr. 13. "We want to get in as much as we can before spring break and allow our guys an opportunity to come back and review that," Harsin said after the Red Wolves completed their first practice. "We've got a large amount of offense, but right now we're picking pieces and parts of that which really fit with the personnel we have."

2. What's the biggest hire? Harsin brought in a nice staff for a first-time coach, but his biggest hire might be the assistant he kept around: John Thompson will return to ASU as defensive coordinator. While there are some personnel losses, last year's unit finished third in the Sun Belt in total defense and first in scoring. That sort of familiarity should keep ASU afloat while the offense learns Harsin's system.

Position battles:

1. Quarterback. Few teams lost more at the position than Arkansas State, which must replace a multiple-year starter – and multiple-time all-conference pick – in Ryan Aplin, one of the best players in school history. The Red Wolves return senior Phillip Butterfield, who had 26 attempts as a freshman but threw only one pass over the last two seasons. ASU also adds a midyear JUCO transfer, Chandler Rogers, and he's expected to make a push for the job over the next month. Other options include sophomores Fredi Knighten (a nice dual-threat option) and Stephen Hogan.

2. Wide receiver. The Red Wolves return sophomore J.D. McKissic, the team leader in receptions and receiving yards, but the offense needs to find at least two or three other targets to balance out the passing game. One will be senior Julian Jones (13 receptions for 394 yards), though he's best suited as a deep threat, not a possession receiver. That pair should be joined by seniors Carlos McCants and R.J. Fleming, though the summertime arrival of three true freshmen could shake up the depth chart.